Shin Lim
Shin Lim was a magician act from Season 1 of JayGT. He was the winner of the competition, winning the $1,000,000 prize. He will be competing in the first JayGT: All-Stars, and JayGT: The Champions. Shin returned for a fourth time to JayGT: Mike Drop. Background Shin Lim is the reigning World FISM Champion for Close Up Magic and is on top of the magic game. A self proclaimed "Sleight of Hand Artist" Lim admits that he is actually not a magician, or a wizard, and has no intention of lying to the audience. He performs carefully choreographed routines rather than pretending to defy the laws of physics. With speed, finesse, and “how’d he do that” mystery, Shin Lim’s tricks enchant not only physical audiences, but digital too. Lim’s journey to the top is one that would not have been possible in the days of David Copperfield. Lim is nearly completely self-taught, which is actually pretty rare in the magic community, because his family did not have the means to support his passion for magic. When he was young, all Lim used to learn the fundamental were YouTube tutorials and a deck of playing cards. What sets him apart from many YouTube waters is instead of watching viral cat fails, Lim used the video platform as a pseudo mentor. “YouTube is a wonderful source for self learning. Even though there are many badly made tutorials online, there are good ones too. Having many options to pick from is what gave me the freedom to develop my own opinion,” said Lim. It was Lim’s brother that initially peaked his interest in sleight of hand magic by showing him a simple card trick called, “Slip Force.” Puzzled by the trick, Lim was simply told to, “go to YouTube and just figure it out.” Simple words that sparked his passion. Discovering the trove of tutorials on the internet, some good and some really not so good, Lim dedicated countless hours to practicing sleight of hand card tricks. And although a less traditional method of learning the craft, it was the one that propelled him to mega-success at such a young age. Lim had (and still has) the power to pull from a community of guides, all over the world. “When you have many choices, you can choose, test and then decide. With a mentor, you tend to have only one view. With many ‘virtual’ mentors available on YouTube, one can choose and combine the various techniques and styles presented. YouTube expands our worldview,” Lim said. It’s because of YouTube that Lim was able to find himself as a performer much quicker than his peers. He didn’t have to wait for a few scheduled hours a week to be taught the fundamental skills of magic, but could tap into the information whenever he wanted. Proof that the internet is not just a distraction machine, Lim serves as a reminder that we don’t have to waste hours online taking quizzes about which emoji most represents our personality, but that we can actually learn something. Who would have thought? Shin Lim now uses YouTube as a platform to showcase his performances to the world. Lim explains, “some videos of my actual live performances are “proof” to disbelieving observers that my ‘moves’ are not ‘photoshopped’ performances.” One of Lim’s most popular videos on his channel is his recent tribute to Paris after the attacks this past November, “Pray for Paris.” Magic isn’t the first art form that I would think of as a tribute to the people affected, but, the proof is in the numbers and with 1.17 Million views and over 7,000 likes, the tribute obviously touched people, allowing viewers to feel some magic in a time of tragedy. Lim explained that magic still has the power to be relevant, “as long as it’s presented correctly.” Like dancers or actors on a stage, sleight of hand magic uses a simple deck of playing cards as a prop to create art. Really it’s the combination of technology and magic allows Lim to be as successful as he is as a modern magician. He suggests that, “technology and knowledge are tools. To the ignorant, it is either magic or witchcraft.” https://www.huffingtonpost.com/outspeak/magic-in-the-computer-light_b_9358484.html Audition Shin Lim was one of the bonus acts that skipped the audition round. Judge Cuts Shin Lim's Judge Cuts performance in Episode 106 consisted of performing. Cards, guest judge Smack, Xboy, and Danger gave him standing ovations. Shin's performance was strong enough to advance to the Quarterfinals. Quarterfinals Shin Lim's Quarterfinals performance in Episode 109 consisted of performing a routine which paid tribute to Paris in the wake of the November 2015 terrorist attacks. JayDK, Cards, Xboy, and Danger all gave him standing ovations. Shin received enough votes to advance to the Semifinals along with Jibrizy. Semifinals Shin Lim's Semifinals performance in Episode 112 consisted of performing. JayDK, Cards, Xboy, and Danger all gave him standing ovations. Shin received enough votes to advance to the Top 10 instead of The Emsee. Top 10 Shin Lim's Top 10 performance in Episode 113 consisted of performing to some Russian volunteers. JayDK, Cards, Xboy, and Danger all gave him standing ovations. Shin received enough votes to advance to the Finals instead of Penn & Teller. The Finals After Season 1 Shin Lim competed on Season 13 of America's Got Talent. He did not compete on Season 13 of JayGT, as he has already won a season and will compete on JayGT: All-Stars. On September 19, 2018, Shin was announced as the winner of AGT 13. He then won America's Got Talent: The Champions. Shin Lim competed on the second season of Jay's Magic Hour. He won that as well, winning another million dollars and continuing his successful streak. Trivia *Shin Lim is one of two JayGT winners to also win a season of America's Got Talent. The other was Kenichi Ebina. The key difference between them is that while Kenichi won the JayGT replica of Season 8, Shin won as a specially added bonus act to Season 1, before he even appeared on AGT. *Shin Lim is the only JayGT winner so far to have also competed on Fool Us/''Jay's Magic Hour''. 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